EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

Southland-born Lynn McConnell is a sportswriter/historian with 40 years experience in journalism having been sports editor of The Evening Post and The Southland Times. Lynn has written several books including 'Behind the Silver Fern: Playing Rugby for New Zealand' together with Tony Johnson.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said in Dublin on Thursday that the side were in a similar position to where they were a year out from the 2015 Rugby World Cup and Sunday's (NZT) Test with Ireland would be a final assessment of how they were tracking for the 2019 event in Japan.

It's something that hasn't received a lot of publicity in New Zealand while the country has been engrossed in the Steinlager Series against France, but Saturday's Test between South Africa and England may be the last to be played at the venerable Newlands ground in Cape Town.
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Establishing an unparalleled record of success ensures there are plenty of memorable moments in All Blacks history, but one of the finest is often one of the most overlooked, the Baby Blacks' 18-9 victory over France at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, in 1986.
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Beating France may have been easier in recent years, not least at the 2015 Rugby World Cup when the All Blacks unleashed a 62-13 thrashing in the Cardiff quarterfinal that exorcised a lot of demons from previous World Cups, but collectively French sides have been New Zealand's banana skin side.
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